Propelling handle and filter bag assembly for vacuum cleaners



Dc. 1, 1953 G. A. BRACE PROPELLING HANDLE AND FILTER BAG ASSEMBLY FOR VACUUM CLEANERS v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 12, 1950 A INVENTOR. eoiye A- Bruce i ATTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 1953 Filed Dec. 12, 1950 G A. BRACE PROPELLING HANDLE AND FILTER BAG ASSEMBLY FOR VACUUM CLEANERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Geo/ ye A. flrczce ATTORNEY.

Dec. 1, 155; 2,661,077

G. A. BRACE PROPELLING HANDLE AND FILTER BAG ASSEMBLY FOR VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Dec. 12, 1950 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 v in A;

& 4 INVENTOR.

Gen/ye ALB/ace BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 1 1953 UNITED sures PATENT o F'FICE PRQBEELING HANDLE AND EILTER' BAG ASSEMBLY- FOR VACUUM CLEANERS:

George A. Brace; Highland Park; 111., assignor to The Hoover -Cbmpany; North G'anton; Ohio, a:

corporation ofGhi'o'.

ApplicatibnDecemben 12, 1950,.Serial Nos-200,422

2s Glai'ms; (01. 18-3 -61) This invention relates to suction cleaners and moreparticularly' to a novel arrangement there with of the propelling handle and. filter hag assembly.

Much difilculty has been encountered in providing a" simple, convenient and satisfactory methodof constructingfa suction cleaner for" use with lowcost paper filters: Numerous attempts have been made to= provide a flexible connection between the-filterbag anclthe-bodyof the cleaner proper" sothat" the filter' is entirely supported by and movable with the handle; Ihemany-"constructions heretofore proposed for this purposeare'" subject to" numerous shortcomings: and die advantages; For example, some are too complexand costly for" commercial acceptance; Others are'hulky or present difficulties when removing and replacing the filter bag. Still others are only partially effective in preventinggflexing of the filter bag as tha handle i's pivoted-- in pro pelling the-cleaner during use. Repeated flexing: of thefilter results in premature rupture and failure of the filter" necessitating thei-hstallation: of: a newone. V

Thepresent invention employs aunique cemstruction and arrangement of parts which entirely circumvents the disadvantages ofprior constructions and which characterized" by its simplicity, ease of operation, convenience? in; re movihg'and replacing the-filter and. theicomp1ete2 absence of' flexing: of" the filter under any an'dz' all conditions: of use; Theseends are accorm plished by providing a swivel connection between: the fan exhaust and the filter adapter, and counter balancing the handle through this adapter. Consequently; the; counter-balance spring: requires the adapter to follow the. pivotal: movement of the handle: precisely and without: lag or'lost motion. Moreover, it is;unnecessary: to.- usea rigid connection between the: adapterand handle, as in prior constructions;

Another feature of the invention: is: the; use" of a: novel lockoutv meansfor the resilient connectionibetweenithe adapter and handleiprovided by: the unique counter-balancing arrange-menu. Normally; and during all: propelling'positibns or: the handle, thecounter-balancespring requires the'iilter adapter. to-follcw" the movement ofi the handle precisely and without play or lost motion. However, Whenthe handle is elevated to a 'nonsprop'elling position, the; lookout functions automatically to free-the adapter for movementindependently of the handle and spring for greater convenienoe=- in removing: thefilt'er for: cleaning purposes.

Accordingly, a primary object. of" my invention.

isito provide a' new and; improved. suction cleaner, and: more particularly a cleaner, having a novel handle and filter arrangement;

Another object" is. the provision of a suction cleaner'with'a propellinghandle which is counterbalanced by means" of' the filter assembly.

A further object is" the provision of a flexibly mounted filter adapter'whichi is spring biased in a" direction; and manner to assist in supporting the weight of the: propelling. handle during normal use of the cleaner." and at the same time to prevent flexing; of the filter bag; upon movement oi" the handle;

A1 more specific object istheprovision of novel cation and drawings of illustrative embodiments of the invention wherein-'2' Figure 1 isa sideview ofa cleaner'incorporating' the invention showing portions of the filter and handle assemblyin vertical section;

Figure 2 is a: sectional view on' line 2-2 of Figure-1 Figure 3 i's-a; horizontal: sectional view through therhandle pivot and showing 'the adapter pivoted rearwardly from: the position shown in Figure 1;

Figure: 4" is; a fragmentary view of a modified filter: and handle assembly; and

Figure. 5: is. a view similar to Figure 3: of the embodiment: illustrated? in: Figure: 41,

The first described embodiment isincorporated in aa fioor type suction: cleaner of any preferred design; For example; this cleaner may consist of a" mainbody' I'll having a suction nozzle H extending: acros'srit's forward end and supported by'a pair of fi'ont carrier wheels l2 and a'pair of The filter and propelling handle assembly has a common pivotal mounting at the rear of the cleaner body, as is clearly apparent from Figures 1 and 3. The novel construction and arrange ment of this assembly, which assures that the filter and handle will pivot in unison during use of the cleaner and which permits the filter to move independently of the handle at other times, forms an important feature of this invention as will become apparent from the following detailed description thereof.

Handle 56 is removably secured to a'stamped metal bail i! by means of through bolt l8. Bail i! is generally U-shaped and includes parallel legs I9 and 23. These bail members straddle and partially enclose filter adapter 2| which comprises an L-shaped conduit. The lower,

shorter end 22 of this conduit extends crosswise of the rear end of the cleaner, and is journaled in the outermost end of exhaust air conduit [5. A bearing 23 of suitable construction is arranged between the mating ends of conduits l and 22, such as in the manner illustrated in Figure 3, so that adapter 2! is free to pivot in a vertical plane through an angle of approximately 90. Figure 1 illustrates the position of the adapter in its upper extreme position, while Figure 3 illustrates the position of the adapter when pivoted rearwardly to a horizontal position.

Adapter 2| is held in position on bearing 23 by a stud and bracket construction located on the opposite side of adapter 2| from exhaust passage l5, as illustrated in Figure 3. This mounting comprises a bracket 24. secured to the cleaner body by screws 25. A pivot or stud pin 26 is journaled in the bracket and threaded into the side wall of adapter 29. Leg iii of the handle bail is journaled upon the outer face of bearing 23 while leg 26 is pivotally supported on pin 26. Thimbles 2? are mounted on pin 26 at either side of leg 20 and cooperate with bracket 24 to hold both the adapter and the handle securely seated on bearing 23. It will thus be clear that both the filter adapter and the propelling handle have a common pivot and bearing axis. This axis extends crosswise of the cleaner at a point generally overlying rear wheels [3. It will also be evident that the adapter is free to pivot independently of the handle. However, it will be understood that, normally, the adapter and handle are interlocked to move in unison.

The interlock between the filter adapter and the handle includes a slide member 28 secured in place on the side of adapter 2! by retainer clips 29-29. These clips limit the movement of slide 28. The upper end 30 of the slide projects laterally from the side of the adapter into the path of the upper, hooked end 32 of the handle counter-balance spring 33. Spring 33 surrounds the outer end of pivot pin 26 and its lowermost end 3 bears against bracket 24. Spring 33 is of sufficient strength to substantially support the weight of handle it when the handle is in its inclined operating position. However, it is only eifective to support the weight of the handle through the filter adapter. That'is to say, the upper end 32 of spring 33 engages end 30 of slide 28 carried by the adapter and urges the adapter to pivot in a clock-wise direction as viewed in Figure 1 into contact with stud 35 carried by the lower end of handle I6. Thus, the energy stored in spring 33 is brought to bear on the handle in a manner to pivot the handle upwardly to its vertical storage position.

An automatic lockout is provided for the coun- 4 ter-balance spring which functions to disconnect the adapter from the spring just before the handle reaches its vertical position. This lockout comprises an arm 36 projecting horizontally from the upper end of bracket 2 into the path of end 32 of the counter-balance spring, as appears from Figure 1. Arm 3B is so positioned as to engage spring end 32 just before the handle reaches its vertical position. The cammed outer end 31 of the arm 38 is positioned just rearward of slide 28 and lies in the path of end 38 of the slide. As appears from Figure l, the surface of cam 31 is slightly higher than end 32 of the counter-balance spring. Consequently, as the filter adapter is pivoted rearwardly, end of the slide engages cam 3'! raising the slide upwardly beyond the end of the counterbalance spring thereby permitting the adapter to be pivoted rearwardly to any desired extent. When the adapter is again pivoted upwardly, cam 3? lifts slide 28 over the end of the spring after which it falls by gravity to the full line position shown in Figure 1 ready to pick up spring 33 as soon as the handle is lowered.

The filter proper comprises an inner paper filter bag 40 and an outer enclosing appearance envelope 4!. Filter 40 may be formed in any well known manner and includes an inlet neck 52 having an interior periphery somewhat greater than the exterior periphery of filter adapter 2i so as to telescope thereover readily during assembly. Surrounding the upper end of the adapter is a filter clamping device comprising a spring ring 33 supported on the under side of the adapter as by clip 44. The upper forward end of the ring is arranged to clamp inlet t2 of the filter tightly to the adapter as by a toggle-latch mechanism t5. The lower, rear edge of appearance envelope 2! is secured to the adapter below the end of filter Ml as by a snap fastener :36.

'A hookless fastener 41 extends substantially the full length of the appearance bag at a point directly beneath handle I6. This fastener opens upwardly to expose filter 40 and its clamping .device 45. Filter 40 may be permanently closed at its upper end so that it is not reusable or, of preferred, its upper end may be releasibly closed by the usual removable closure clip. The upper end of the appearance bag is supported from the under side of the handle as by tension spring 48, which may be easily unhooked from the handle to facilitate changing and emptying the filter.

The assembly preferably includes a positive handle control for locking the handle in storage position. Such a control may comprise a foot lever 50 pivoted at its forward end to the cleaner body and having a pedal 5| at its rear end projecting slightly beyond the end of the cleaner body. The lower edge of leg 20 of the handle bail is provided with arcuate control sector 52 having a notch 53 to receive a detent 54 formed on control lever 5i). A spring, such as leaf spring 55, is secured to the cleaner body and has its free end underlying lever 58 to urge it upwardly into engagement with sector 52 at all times. Sector 52 may also carry a cammed projection 56 shaped to interact with detent 54 of the con trol lever sufiiciently to support the handle in an inclined rest position and yet allow the handle to override the detent when slight downward pressure is applied. A stop 5'! at the end of the control sector prevents the handle from falling below its lowermost horizontal operating posiion.

:reaaoar Operation? The. operation ottlie cleaner? will? be quite obvious from the" foregoing description of its structure; Bet-us assume that; the cleaner. is assembl'e'd and that the handle is locked. storage position as' shown in-Figure 1: The cleaner" may be" placed in operationby connecting the service cord-to a power source" and" pivoting the handle rearwardly-* after first stepping on" control lever 51 to remove detent 54 from notch 532 After the handle has" pivoted downwardly about 1 tab'tfi on'sl-idem'cm'ber 2-8 will pick up the counter-balance spring by engaging end 32' thereof. Thereafter as the handle is lowered, the counter+balance spring acts through slide IZS and 'filter adapter?! to support the weight of the handle and to maintain the filter adapter in fixed".relaifien with respect to the handle. As a consequence, the-entire filter assembly and filter ada ter moves in unison with the handle with the rcsul-t thatthereiis'no-iiexing'in any part filter bag 60. As the cleaneris moved back and forth acrossthe fiber, the dirty air stream passes through the-'suction fan, and through discharge ainconduit. i; through-adapter 2' and into the filten A'ti't'his point it is. appropriate to note thatrthee 'swiveli connection between" adapter 2i andithe.- exhaust: airconduit; though shown and described as: constructed: of rigid members, may compriseanyoravariety cfiother types of flexibleconduits such as flexible hose',.fiexi-blemetal. tubing, telescoping: members and the like" which: permit the filteriassembly to pivot with respect to the cleaner body.

Aftera quantity ofdirt has collected, the filter may be removed for; cleaning" or replacement: by a new filter very simply. Toremove. the; filter, the: operator raises the: handle" to its. vertical storage: position where it is positively locked by engagement of. detent 54 in match 53.. As the: handle approaches; the storage position; end' 3'2 of the eounter=balance spring engages lockout." stop 36 on handle bracket 24 so; that it: is. no longer efiectiveto hold thefilter adapter against stop 3-5ionthe rear siderof the. handle. The operator may-now. detach the-upper end' of spring la-from. the. handle whereupon the entire. filter assembly, including adapter 24, pivots freely rearwardly. In. so doing, tab on: slide 28 engagescam- 3.1- and overrides end- 32' of the spring. Hookless fastener 41 is then opened upwardly and'latch 45 i's-unfastened-2 releasing filter 49 forremovalirom-the. adapter. Thecleaned filter or a new one may thenbe placedupon the adapter and locked in place byclamp-4345: After closing the. hoolrless. fastener, spring 68- is' hooked bachinplace as the filter. adapter pivots upward.- ly.. In so-doing, cam 31 carries slide: 28 over. end- 32. 011 thespring and allows it to drop by gravity to the full linev positionshownin Figure 1 in readinessv topiclr. up end 32 of the spring: as soon as the handle is again removed fromxits storage position.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate. a second. embody mcnt' of. the invention. This. embodimentis. gen.- erally' similarfto the first described arrangement andfor this reason similar reference characters distinguished 'bya prime have been employed to describe like parts. Substantially the only change from the first embodiment concerns the lookout mechanism for counter-balance spring 33..

Slide 128. is enlarged intermediate its endsandprovided with: an elongatedslot 55 to re ceivetl'ie enlarged-v end off thimble 2-1 The up-- 6. per. end. of: the. slide is; secured; to adapter; 21' by'a strap 61. so asrto; leave strip: 28. fi'Be5fUlt1imL-- ited. lengthwise. movement; The; lower: end. of: strip 28' includesa rounded projection 62.; Nor.-

". mally, strip 28' fallsby gravity intothefullline? position shown in'Figure4. However, if adapter; 21 is pivoted rearwardly whcnthe; handle isin its vertical locked position, projection. 62. engages; cam. surface 63 on guide-member: 6.4. carried. on the rearlower. face of handle; bail I1. causing the slide to. be elevated so that tab? 30" at" the top: end of: the. slide; overrides. end 32" of" the counter-balance springs. So long. as. the adapter is. pivoted rearwardly, end 62 onstrip: 223? rides along guidewayfifl so; thatthe adapter may be. returned to its. vertical position. without interference: from portion 32 of the counterbalance spring; After the upper endof the slide: Icy-passes. the end of the. spring, however, the. slide falls by gravity to its: original position. Hence, when: the handle is unlocked and pivoted rearwardly', tab 3d engages the end ofthespring so' that the: spring is effective to. hold. adapter 2| into firm engagement with stop 35. on. the. lower end. of. the handle.

Operation of'second embodiment Little. need besaid in describing the operation of thesecond embodiment since it is so similar. tov the first embodiment. The handle control mechanism operates exactly the same as that described above. When the handle is in its'vertica'l storage position and locked there by the control means, arm 35' holds end 32' of the. counter-balance spring out of engagement with end 36' of strip 28'. Hence, the adapter is. free for pivotal movement rearwardly independently of the.- handle. This is accomplished-merely by unhooking spring 48 from the handle and allowing the filter and adapter to pivot backwardly. As it starts to pivot, strip 28 is moved vertically by the engagement of projection 62 with cam 63 on the lower end of the handle bail. This causes the slide to override the end of the counter-balance spring and to be held in this raised position solongas the adapter is swung backwardly.

The appearance bag may then be opened. and the filter removed and replaced as described above. After this operation is completed, the adapter is swung upwardly and spring 48' is hooked to the propelling handle.

From. the. foregoing description of two illustrative embodiments of the invention, it will be clear that this invention provides an unusually simple cleaner construction having a filter assembly which interlocks to pivotwith the handle in all cleaner propelling positions of the handle. However, as soon as the handleis moved out of a cleaner propelling position; the filter is automatically disconnected for movement independently ofv the. handle and into-a position providing free. and unobstructed access to the filtenthe filter clamp and the adapter. Moreover, the handle is locked in its vertical position where it. is. completely out of the way and where it. does not interfere in any way with the removal and replacementof the filter. At all other times. the closurev for the appearance bag is concealed beneath the handle and is not accessible for tam peringby children. It. will also be'obvious that the. arrangement. providesa safety feature for the filter clamp. In other Wordait isimpossiblefor the clamp to open accidentally or to be. opened unintentionally except-when the adapter has been. pivoted rearwardly" in accordance with the intended mode ofoperation.

" While I have shown but twoembodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a suction cleaner of the fioor type, a propelling handle pivoted to said cleaner having a non-propelling storage position and an inclined cleaner propelling range oi movement, a filter assembly for said cleaner including a filter adapter pivotally connected to said cleaner adjacent the lower end of said handle, counter-balance means for substantially counterbalancing said filter assembly and said handle when said cleaner is being propelled, said means including a spring interposed between said cleaner and said assembly and handle so as to urge the same upwardly and including means for rendering said spring ineffective on said handle as said handle approaches said non-propelling storage position whereby said counter-balance means acts to move said filter assembly in unison with said handle when the latter is in its inclined cleaner propelling range of movement.

2. The combination defined in claim 1 wherein said means for rendering said spring inefiective on said handle includes means for disconnecting said spring from said filter assembly and permitting said filter adapter to be pivoted independently of said handle.

3. In combination with a suction cleaner having a body provided with an exhaust air outlet, a propelling handle pivoted to said body having a non-propelling storage position and an inclined cleaner propelling range of movement, a filter assembly including flexible conduit means connecting said assembly to said exhaust air outlet and being arranged to pivot with said handle as Well as independently thereof, and means including a spring mounted between said flexible conduit means and said cleaner, said spring cooperating to move said filter assembly in unison with said handle when said handle is in said cleaner proelling range of movement.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 including means for rendering said spring means ineffective on said filter assembly when said handle is in said non-propelling position whereby said assembly can be moved independently of said handle.

5. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said spring means is of sufiicient strength to require said filter assembly to move in unison with said handle and in addition to substantially counter-balance the weight thereof when said handle is in said inclined range of movement.

6. The combination defined in claim 3 includ ing handle control means operable to lock said handle in said non-propelling position While leaving said filter assembly free for movement independently of said handle.

'7. The combination defined in claim 3 wherein the pivotal axis of said handle traverses said flexible conduit means interconnecting said filter assembly and said exhaust air outlet in said cleaner body.

8. The combination with a suction cleaner of the floor type having a main body provided with an exhaust air outlet, of a filter assembly including a filter adapter flexibly connected to said outlet so as to be movable through an arcuate path, said adapter being constructed to support a dirt receiving filter on the outer end thereof, means including a spring mounted on said cleaner between the body thereof and said adapter for urging said filter assembly upwardly away from the fioor, and a propelling handle pivotally connected to said body on an axis traversing said adapter, said handle being free of a direct mechanical connection with said adapter but having a portion thereof for contacting said adapter and moving the same downwardly toward the floor in oposition to said spring when said handle is pivoted to an inclined cleaner propelling position whereby said spring is effective to make said adapter follow the movement of said handle in all inclined operating positions thereof.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 including lock-out means for said spring, said lock-out means being operable to disconnect said spring from said adapter when the latter is elevated to a predetermined position and to thereafter permit said adapter to be pivoted freely independently of said spring.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said lock-out means includes a stop carried by said body for engaging said spring and disconnecting the same from said adapter as said adapter reaches said predetermined position, a movable member carried by said adapter normally positioned to engage said spring as the adapter is pivoted downwardly, and means carried by said handle operable to move said member out of the path of said spring when said adapter is pivoted downwardly independently of said handle.

11. The combination with a suction cleaner having a wheel supported body, an exhaust air conduit and a propelling handle pivotally mounted on said body, of a filter assembly for said cleaner having its upper end detachably supported on said handle, a filter adapter at the lower end of said assembly communicating with and flexibly connected to said exhaust air conduit, and means including a spring supported on said cleaner at the lower end of said filter assembly for normally constraining said adapter to pivot with said handle so long as the handle is in an inclined cleaner propelling position, means for holding the handle in a non-propelling storage position, and means permitting said adapter to be swung away from said handle and out of engagement with said spring means said means normally constraining said adapter to pivot with said handle so long as said handle is held in said non-propelling position. 12. The combination defined in claim 11 wherein said spring is sufiioiently strong to substantially counter-balance the weight of said handle and said filter assembly when said handle is pivoted away from said non-propelling position into said inclined cleaner propelling position.

13. The combination defined in claim 11 in which said filter assembly includes a filter bag mounted on said adapter, clamping means for detachably holding said filter in place thereon, manual means for opening said clam positioned between said adapter and said handle and being inoperable to open said clamp so long as said handle is in said inclined cleaner propellin posiion.

14. The combination defined in claim 13 including an appearance envelope for said filter bag, said envelope having a filter access opening extending lengthwise of and immediately behind said handle whereby the same is normally propelling position and said .filter assembly is :swungaway therefrom.

v15. The combination with .a suction :cleaner having a wheel supported body, an exhaust air conduit in said body having a discharge end offset from the longitudinal center line of said body, a filter adapter having its inlet swivelly connected to the discharge end of said exhaust conduit, a propelling handle having a housing at its lower end extending across the forward side of said adapter and along the opposite sides thereof, pivot means for the sides of said handle connecting the same to said cleaner body, said pivot means having an axis traversing the swivelled end of said adapter, and means for counter-balancing said handle, said counter-balancing means being directly effective on said adapter and indirectly effective on said handle by way of said adapter.

16. The combination defined in claim wherein said counter-balancing means includes a strong spring, and lockout means for said spring effective to disconnect said spring from said adapter when said handle is pivoted upwardly beyond a predetermined point.

17. The combination defined in claim 15 including means operative when said handle is retained above said predetermined point to permit said adapter to be swiveled away from said handle freely and independently of said handle counter-balancing spring.

18. The combination with a suction cleaner, having a pivoted filter assembly extending generally parallel to and closely adjacent said handle, means including a strong spring on said cleaner for urging said assembly and said handle upwardly toward a vertical position whereby said handle and assembly move in unison when said handle is in an inclined cleaner propelling position, stop means for rendering said spring ineffective on said adapter when said handle is elevated beyond a predetermined point, and means including a cam member and a movable member operable to permit said assembly to be pivoted independently of said handle and of said spring, one of said members being carried by said assembly, and the other member being carried by said handle in such manner that movement of said assembly away from the handle causes said movable member to be moved out of the path of said spring.

19. The combination with a suction cleaner having an ambulatory body provided with an exhaust air outlet at the rear thereof and a propelling handle pivotally connected thereto adjacent said outlet, of a filter assembly for said cleaner adapted to use an inexpensive disposable paper filter incapable of withstanding repeated flexing, said filter assembly comprising a rigid tubular conduit swivelly connected at its lower end to said exhaust air outlet, means on the upper end of said conduit adapted to seat and clamp the inlet of a paper filter bag, said upper end being located behind said handle and in abutting relation therewith, an air pervious envelope for enclosing said filter clamping means and having its upper end supported on the upper portion of said handle, and spring means interposed between said cleaner body and said tubular conduit for biasing said conduit upwardly into abutting engagement with the rear side of said handle so that the entire filter assembly pivots in 20. suction cleaner as defined in claim 19 including disconnect means "operatively associatedwith saidspring means and responsive to the movement of said handle "as the same is raised above=a-'-pred'etermined'position for rendering'said "spring means ineffective to bias the adapter againstsaidhandle whereby the one'maybe pivoted ndeperrdentlyof theother to facilitate "the ser ng 'of' sai'd filtering means without interference from said handle.

21. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 20 wherein said disconnect means includes means for re-establishing the connection between said spring means and said tubular conduit as said handle is pivoted rearwardly below said predetermined position.

22. In combination, a suction cleaner having an ambulatory body provided with a rearwardly directed exhaust air outlet, a filter adapter having a flexible connection with said outlet so that the discharge end thereof can be pivoted through an arc of approximately a propelling handle pivotally connected to said cleaner body and having a portion thereof positioned forwardly of and closely adjacent the discharge end of said adapter, filter clamping means for clamping a filter bag to the discharge end of said adapter, manually operable means for closing and opening said clamping means, said manually operable being disposed between the forward side of said adapter and the rear side of said handle, and means for normally holding said adapter so closely spaced from said handle that said clamping means cannot open.

23. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 22 including a paper filter bag having an inlet adapted to telescope over the discharge end of said adapter and to be clamped thereon by said clamping means, an outer protective envelope for said filter bag havin its lower rear end connected to the rear side of said adapter at a point below said filter inlet, an opening in the forward side of said envelope closed by an upwardly opening hookless fastener positioned behind and normally concealed by said handle, said means for normally holding said adapter closely spaced from said handle being releasable to permit said adapter to be pivoted rearwardly away from said handle whereby said hookless fastener and said clamping means are rendered freely accessible to facilitate the replacement of said filter bag.

24. The combination with a suction cleaner having an ambulatory body provided with an air discharge passage opening at the rear of said body, an L-shaped filter adapter conduit having one end swivelly connected to said discharge passage so that the other end thereof can swing through a, vertical plane extending longitudinally of said cleaner, a propelling handle having a bail straddling said adapter from the forward side thereof, means pivotally connecting said bail to said body on an axis coinciding with the axis of said swivel connection for said adapter, counterbalancing means for said handle including a spring having one end reacting against said body and the other end reacting against said adapter so as to urge the same upwardly against the rear side of said handle, said spring being sufficiently strong to substantially counter-balance the weight of said adapter and of said handle when the same are in an inclined operating position, and said spring being effective to hold said handle in all inclined operating positions thereof 11 whereby said adapter pivots in unison with said handle.

25. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 24 including a stop on said cleaner body positioned in the path of said spring and operative to disen- 5 gage said spring from said adapter as the handle is raised above a predetermined position, and operator controlled means for retaining said handle above said predetermined position until it is desired to use the cleaner for cleaning purposes. 10

GEO. A. BRACE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

